Life Lessons
by Appaku
Summary: COMPLETE: Told from his point of view, Chiriko learns important steps of growing up from his fellow warriors.
1. Companionship

"He's so adorable!"

"I could eat him right up!"

"You can stop that now," I groaned. The young girls continued to squeal. I hate to admit I'm used to it, though. I've always been kind of small for my age, so you can't blame people for getting the wrong idea.

"Are these girls bothering you, Chiriko?" an older man said and put his hand on my shoulder. Rescued at last!

"Oh, we're sorry sir," one of the girls said when she saw him. "Is this your grandson?"

Poor Mitsukake. He's really much younger than he looks. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself. My name is Ou Dokun, but I'm better known as Chiriko of the Suzaku Seven. I've recently joined my fellow warriors and the Priestess. This man here is another warrior of Suzaku, known as Mitsukake. He can be a little hard to talk to, I think, but I still enjoy his company.

"I've got the herbs I was looking for, so I think I'm ready to head back now," he said, trying to hide how bothered he was by the girl's misconception. "Why don't you stay with Chichiri if you're going to be out longer?"

"We'll be just fine, no da," a voice popped out of nowhere (but more specifically, right behind me). Chichiri, as you may have guessed, is yet another Suzaku warrior. He's kind of strange, but it doesn't bother me. I think.

Mitsukake went back towards the imperial palace where all of us are staying before our journey to get the Shinzaho. I'll admit I'm nervous about it… maybe "nervous" isn't the right word. "Terrified" is more like it. I just have to try not to think about it right now. There's enough to distract me right here in the capitol, such as obnoxious girls, my exams… and cats following us around.

"Meeeeeooowww."

"Well, if it isn't Tama-neko," Chichiri bent down to meet him. "For being such a tag-along, this kitty's helped us out in a lot of unexpected ways."

He casually began stroking his furry head as I crouched down as well. "For being Mitsukake's cat, he sure spends a lot more time with I you /I , Chichiri."

"Now that you mention it, that's pretty true! No da!" he laughed as I reached my hand out to pet him too. "He's just too friendly--"

CHOMP.

Chichiri abruptly stopped as we watch Tama try to take a giant bite out of my hand, seeing as he would have been lying if he continued. "Tama-a-a-a!" he held up the cat by the scruff of his neck. "Are you okay, Chiriko?"

"I-I'm alrigh…" And of all the times for my character to disappear, it did. "…..waaaahhhhhh! Why'd he hafta go 'n bite me?"

I'm sorry Chichiri had to see me like that. How embarrassing. I kept sniffling as he wrapped my hand in a bandage, apologizing on behalf of a cat that wasn't even his. He didn't ask about my sudden personality change, though, which I'm grateful for. I get the feeling that he doesn't need to ask. It's as if behind the mask, he has a different side of himself, too. Maybe it's a little strange, but I'm comforted by that.

"I don't know what got into him, no da," he tried to laugh a little. "I've never seen him do that to anyone. Maybe he just thinks your hand tasted good?"

I shook my head as my character started to come back. "They never really liked me much. When I was little, my mother would wrap plenty more wounds like this while my brother chased them all away." After I said that, his expression was somewhere between thinking 'you still are little' and 'what did you do to get so many cats mad at you?' I laughed and tried to say more in defense. "It's not like that happened all the time, though. Just when the strays were around."

"Must have been some mean cats, huh?" he smiled.

"It wasn't just cats. All the animals didn't like me for some reason."

It must have put an interesting mental image in his head, because he started laughing out loud. "I can't even imagine how that must have been like." We fell into an awkward pause as he tied up the last of my bandage. "When I was a little younger than you, I had a pet dog."

I raised my eyebrows to let him know I was intrigued, and he continued. "Well, not just me. My old buddy and I found her as a puppy just barely more than skin and bones. Neither of us were allowed to keep animals, so we hid her in our favorite spot to play, and everyday we'd get excited to bring her scraps of our dinners. She learned to love us pretty quick, and eventually the rest of the village found out about her."

I anticipated a sad ending about angry villagers killing the dog when he paused there, but instead he laughed. "We were having so much trouble keeping her from following us home as night, that the others found it cute and let her wander around. Everyone loved her, she was such a sweet dog, but she was always there for me and Hikou first."

Apparently a can of worms had been opened. Chichiri continued on and on about his little adventures with his dog and best friend. He talked about all the times they fished together, when they'd get in trouble together, and when the dog would heroically help them. It reminded me a little of some "Lassie" dog or something that Miaka (our Priestess) had mentioned before. The entire time he was talking, though, he seemed so wistful. Maybe the dog I did /I have a tragic end.

"Whatever happened to the dog?" I asked out of curiosity, though I hoped I wouldn't be opening any old wounds.

"We grew older," he said in a softer tone. "And we lost interest in playing with a dog. We'd still feed her and all, but gradually stopped going out to do things with her. She'd still wait in the usual spot everyday, though, hoping that we'd change our minds, no da. Quite some time later, we finally noticed she hadn't shown up in a while. But, I guess by that time we didn't care."

That was the ending I wasn't expecting. After all that, he just didn't care about that dog anymore? "And that was it?"

"That was it. I feel guilty about it now, no da… she was such a loyal companion that she was willing to forgive us everyday for ignoring her. But people are fickle," his voice grew quieter. "Those who you think you can depend on someday leave you, in one way or another."

He seemed deeply troubled by something, but I didn't want to leave our conversation there. "But, Chichiri, you can't go through life with just animals. People should be able to depend on other people, right?"

He smiled and looked back at me. "They should, huh?" he laughed. "Sorry I sounded like such a pessimist there, no da. People do hurt other people, but it's also people who help them to heal."

I smiled thanks to his change in mood, and nodded in agreement.

"We should know about loyalty and comrades better than normal people anyway. As Suzaku warriors, it's our duty not only to protect our priestess to our death, but also to take care of each other, no da. We can depend of each other no matter what."

An awkward smile hit my face without me trying. This was partly what I had been so afraid of, but feel even more guilty about now. They all should have been have able to depend on me before, but I abandoned them before my journey even started. My stomach turned in uneasiness. However, from Chichiri's tone, it seemed he had been through exactly was I was feeling. It's probably something I'll never know, but knowing it's there makes me feel a bit better.

"It's getting kinda late, no da," he stood up and acted as if our conversation never took place. "I'll bet we'll be right in time for dinner. Shall we go?"

I nodded and followed. Today Chichiri helped me learn about companionship, and how much we need it. Tomorrow is my first day in the imperial court, with His Highness, Hotohori (who is also one of the Suzaku warriors). I wonder what great things I'll learn then.


	2. Confidence

Silly me, I didn't write anything on my first chapter of this. ;; Oh well. I'll write here instead.

I love writing angst, but I also love full- why isn't there a "fluff" category on this site! Anyway, I have a chapter for all of the Suzaku characters. I was originally going to write this as a doujinishi (which was looking ADORABLE so far), but that got scraped.

So here's the Hotohori chapter.

I got up early to try on the robes I'd be wearing in my future government position (provided I pass the exams, of course). Not only were they a little too big for me, but they were also really heavy. My shoulders slumped downward and threatened to the rest of me with them, so I had to carry my sleeves everywhere it I went. It made me look pretty silly, but my only other option was to collapse under them. I stood and waited by the older men serving in the court, trying to hold my head up as high as they were as we waited for Hotohori, His Majesty. The room was silent for at least ten minutes as we stood, and I admit I began to nod off. However, as soon as he finally entered the room, everyone around me suddenly broke the silence. In loud, deep voices they all greeted him in unison, and I was startled enough to nearly fly out of my robes.

He greeted them formally, and they took their seats as he did. I struggled to pick my giant sleeves back up and get to my appointed seat, embarrassed enough already. He noticed and dropped all formalities as he came to me. "Having a little trouble in your first day?" asked, as the sun peaked through the windows and light up his face and made it even more beautiful than normal. If I didn't know better, I'd think he planned that. "We'll have to get those refitted for you before you actually start working."

Too embarrassed to say anything, I avoided eye contact and nodded, and struggled to my seat as fast as I could. He immediately went back to addressing everyone else in a regal manner. It was apparent that he didn't see me as someone who had an important reason to be there. While it's true, I'm still only a student and haven't officially become an official yet, that doesn't mean I can't be as valuable as everyone else there. I managed to keep myself from getting upset, and thought it'd be better for me to try to act like everyone else was and include myself.

At every other pause in the discussion, I'd open my mouth to say something, but would be interrupted right away. The next times I'd would try speaking louder. I had some good things to say, too, but thought them out so precisely that by the time I as ready, they were on a different train of thought. At last, after all my attempts, I was able to speak up loud enough (and quickly enough) to hold everyone's attention, but by that time, I was so focused on just getting my chance in the spot light that I forgot what I was going to say. I let my mouth hang open for a minute before saying quietly "I agree." The officials there, as well as Hotohori, began to chuckle at my expense. I was feeling mortified. Maybe the court really wasn't the place for a child. Even if I did have something good to say then, it's not likely that they would have taken me seriously.

After that, I stopped trying to say anything, and stopped following the conversation altogether, just hoping for a recess. Or better yet, for the entire discussion to end for the day. I did my best to look interested until the meeting was finally brought to close, and I made my escape as fast and quietly as I could. I probably could have been even faster and even quieter if I wasn't lugging around those robes. I looked around quickly for a secluded place to just sit and cry for a few minutes before going all the way back to my quarters. I spotted the gazebo and made my way over there. Just when I was about to let my weaker side let loose and sob, a familiar voice rang out behind me.

"Chiriko!" Hotohori said. He had been running just a little, apparently to keep up with me. "Are you alright?"

Choking back my tears, I forced myself to nod and smile. "I'm fine, Your Highness."

His face grew stern. "Chiriko," he said authoritatively, "You and I are both warriors of Suzaku. Please don't trouble yourself with formalities. Call me Hotohori."

I only nodded. He was trying to treat me more like a little brother than a member of his court. Just because I'm young doesn't mean everyone has to treat me differently.

"You seemed like you were in a hurry to get out of there," he said. "Is there a reason you couldn't wait to leave with everyone else?"

I opened my mouth to think of some excuse, but no words out, and I found myself only choking on tears. They started to fall from my eyes, and without a second thought I started using my giant sleeves to wipe them away. It was obvious I was crying anyway, and Hotohori would had to have been a fool to miss it. He grew more concerned as I started hiccupping back the rest of my tears. I don't know what he was thinking at the time, but he then leaned over and draped his arms around my shoulders tightly.

"There, there," he said. "Please tell me what's going on." My stomach churned in embarrassment. My situation had gone from bad to worse, as I was now the charity-case- child being comforted by the gentle and loving emperor of Konan. The very same emperor who I was come to work alongside professionally. This was exactly the opposite of proving my worth like I had hoped.

About half an hour later, we found ourselves just sitting quietly at the edge of the gazebo, and for some reason had stripped our feet bare and had them wading in the water. People on the edge of the lake who saw us probably had no idea what to think of that.

"I'm sorry," he said, in less of a big-brother tone than he had before. "It seems I made your problem even worse."

Not being able to hold a grudge against the emperor, I shook my head. "It's not your fault. I…" I paused and reflected on my situation. "…I'll grow up eventually."

He chuckled a little. "You think that's your problem?" I furrowed my eyebrows and looked back at him. "Age isn't something that can tie you down. Not unless you let it do that. Your problem, Chiriko, is your attitude."

I had to let that sink in for a moment, so he continued in a suave voice. "I'm sorry. If 'Chiriko' is too personal for you, I'll call you Ou Dokun."

"No, no!" struggled I, flustered as ever. "W…we're both Suzaku warriors after all."

Laughing a bit without opening his mouth, looked back and replied, "That's more like it. If you'll let me, I'll use that relationship to help you prepare for your next appearance in court."

An unforced smile hit my face as I nodded in agreement. I wasn't sure what he could teach me, though. But it's not like I was in any position to refuse the emperor. He wiggled his toes a little in the water as a koi fish swam by, and began his lecture. "When I first took my position of emperor, I was still very young. However, I didn't have the option of acting shy and hiding behind my lack of age. The people of Konan need people to lead them, and that weight was on my shoulders. Unfortunately, I wasn't a genius, like you."

I blushed at the reference. "Was it difficult?"

"Not at all," he said with the easiest of grins. "I had my officials there to aid and guide me in my decisions. I get the final say, of course, but there are plenty of times I would have made terrible choices without their help. Each one of them also brings great leadership qualities to the court, and are responsible for the well-being of Konan."

"I don't know that I have those qual--"

"Of course you have those qualities of a leader, Chiriko!" he raised his voice and looked me straight in the eye. "You just don't have the confidence to use them to your full potential!"

He was too intimidating to look at face to face, so my gaze slid down to my submerged foot. "That really all depends on my character appearing, Your Hi---Hotohori."

"Then maybe it's your lack of confidence that keeps it from appearing," he continued, sounding a little irritated with my attitude. "Fear is the only thing that will hold you back. What do you have to be afraid of in the court?" I didn't answer right away, so this gave him time to quiet down and think of something more encouraging to say. "If your worried about embarrassing yourself, don't be. Just last week I fell asleep right in the middle of one of our meetings. Everyone spent the rest of the meeting scolding me for it, even though those old men nod off at every other meeting!"

The mental image of Hotohori dozing off while at court made me laugh, just as he had hoped. Laughing certainly does have a way of easing things of your mind, and bringing you back into a good mood. The water light up a little as my foot began to glow once again with my character. The emperor noticed as well, and decided to bring our somewhat fruitful conversation to a close. "That character that marks you as one of the Suzaku warriors is going to put you through much greater challenges at just an official meeting. I hope that you'll learn how to overcome your fears while you travel with the others to find the Shinzaho."

"Thank you, Hotohori," I smiled as I kicked some water off my toes. "I'll do my best."

"You better," he replied and slipped his wet feet back into his shoes. "Try hard enough for the both of us. I'll be the one still stuck at court."

I'm grateful for the time I was able to spend with Hotohori as a Suzaku warrior and not just as a child. With his help, maybe I will be able to raise my confidence. Hopefully we will be successful in our coming journey, so I can look forward to many days in court working along side him.

Next is… Tamahome or Tasuki, I think. Get out your umbrellas, folks, it's raining fluff.


	3. Cherish Your Loved Ones

Hey there, everybody! This one is a little bit shorter of a chapter. Chiriko's go this big moments and his little moments, but they're all special, right? Right? Please boost his confidence and say "yes".

Oh, do I have to do a disclaimer? Okay. I don't own Fushigi Yuugi or any of it's characters. Fair enough?

Today I had no shopping to attend to, or duties in court. Rather, I thought I would spend the day mentally preparing myself for the upcoming journey. As I've learned now, though, plans are subject to change around here. On my way to a local shrine, I noticed a coin laying on the outdoor walkway. Out of curiosity, I picked it up and pocketed it, but it was out of concern that I began to run towards Tamahome's living quarters. He had just let out a loud yell of anguish, and it was a gruesome sound I won't soon forget.

His door was wide open, so I let myself in to check on him. He didn't notice, though, because he was occupied with looking frantically through a small bag with a hole at the bottom. "I know it as in here," he pleaded with the air around him. "I just saw it! I just had it a few minutes ago!"

In case you didn't already guess, Tamahome is yet another one of the Suzaku warriors. I don't know very much about him, seeing as he spends all his time with the Priestess. I gather that they have special feelings for each other. For all I do know, though, he has a preoccupation with money, even though he's very poor. Perhaps he had made poor investment decisions before to lead him there? Or maybe it was the other way around, and being poor lead him to obsess over every penny.

That thought hit me while he was searching frantically. "Tamahome!" I got his attention. "I think I have what you're looking for!"

"R-really? You do?" he spun around with a face full of anxiety, hope, and surprise all at once.

"This is it, right?" I held up the coin to show him, confident in my reasoning. His facial expression quieted down as he came closer to examine the coin. Changing now from his flat expression, he closed his eyes and chuckled a little.

"Well, I guess I can't blame anyone for thinking I was looking for that," he smiled, calming himself down. "Thank you, though." With that, he turned back to looking under his bed and saying things to himself about where he last had 'it'.

"I… I'll help!" I offered, hoping he wouldn't shoo me away. "Finding small items shouldn't be too big a problem for me."

He chuckled again. "Gyokuran sometimes says the same thing. It doesn't look like it's in here, let's go outside."

Gyokuran? I wondered who that was as I followed him. We began combing the wooden walk way on our hands and knees, and branched down off of it to the dirt as well. I wasn't sure what exactly I was looking for, but I asked him questions about where he last had it and such, how long ago that was, and if the item I picked up was it. Just some yakouji earring Nuriko (another warrior) had been missing, I guess. I brushed my hand through some tall blades of grass, and scraped my finger against something with lots of different textures. I picked it up, and figured it must be a fishing lure Chichiri might use. It was just a few feathers fastened to an acorn, so I lifted my hand to toss it back towards the pond.

"That's it!" Tamahome shouted excitedly before I lifted my hand very much. I looked back down more critically at it as he jumped over the walkway banister to retrieve it. He handled it very gently and caressed it against his cheek with a dopey smile of relief. At that point, I was fairly certain he was more of an obsessive man than just for money, so I didn't realize I gave him a queer look. Noticing that, he regained his composure and explained himself. "It's uh… a good luck charm, from my family. My little siblings made it for me the day I left to find work here… and I wound up meeting Miaka that day! Since then, we agreed that before I ever leave again for anything else, they would have to, uh, 'recharge' it with luck."

"Younger siblings?" my face lit up. I had no idea Tamahome would have such a soft spot for something silly like that. "Gyokuran… is that one of them?"

"Yes, he's one of my little siblings. He and Yuiren were the ones who made this, and it was the older two who thought of 'recharging' it," he smiled, obviously thinking of them. "It'll be a really far journey we'll be going on, so maybe I should ask my father to recharge it, too."

He seemed like a very kind person, to recall his family so fondly. Large families aren't very common here, so I was very surprised to hear that he had four younger siblings, and with hardly any money. Come to think of it, Tamahome has treated the least like a child out of all the warriors. Maybe that's because he knows I'm not a just a small child, like he's cared for. He knows I can take care of myself. For that, I'm very thankful.

It reminds me of how I am with my older brother. He always protected me to the best of his ability, be it standing up for me against the neighborhood boys or chasing away those bothersome stray cats. He also encouraged me the most to study. I admire how mature he is to accept that I'm a Suzaku warrior, and that he can't always protect me. Being with him also makes me feel braver. Without his help, I might not have made in time to stop Amiboshi at the faux Suzaku summoning. Despite all of this, I can't picture us ever doing something as, dare I say, "cute" as a good luck charm.

Tamahome had been quiet for a few minutes. His voice remained quiet as he dragged himself out of his thoughts and back to our current place. "They aren't going to want to carry this on forever," he said, partly saying it to me, partly admitting it to himself. "They're growing up so fast, and someday they might not even need me. Shunkei might marry a merchant, Chuuei might have better luck finding a good job, and Yuiren might even join a future harem!" he giggled at the thought.

I didn't say anything, and just tried to take in how much he sincerely loved his siblings. He continued in a more serious tone.

"But that means I'll cherish the time I have with them now even more. When I go home to visit them, I have to spend each moment to the fullest with them, so we can have good memories to hang onto while I'm away."

I smiled. He had such a wonderful and warm attitude towards them. I hope that he can cherish them even more than he already plans to, and I'll do the same for my family.

He said thanks for my help, and started heading back to his room to keep the charm safe. I started going a few steps in the other direction when he called back, "Just don't tell anyone any of this mushy stuff, okay!"

Ahahahhaha! Tell them the mushy stuff, Chiriko, tell them the mush! Now, those of you who know FY (which I hope you all do, if you're reading this…) will probably know what comes shortly after this for Tama-kins. Anyway.

Next on the list is… Nuriko! And yes, there will be a Miaka chapter. I have an illustration for it on the back of my notebook for school, and it gives me encouragement. XD But that won't be until later.


	4. Ambition

Hello, readers! This one is a tad longer than the others so far, but I had fun with it. Can anyone guess who the next chapter will be about? XD

Shortly after leaving Tamahome's company, I decided to return to my original plan. Meditating in a temple would prepare me more for the journey, I hoped. I had barely made it to the courtyard when I spotted Nuriko being fussed over, but I wasn't sure about what. I figured it would be polite of me to say hello on my way out, so I headed in his direction. When I first joined the group after the faux-Suzaku summoning, she- I mean he- took the most interest in my being a genius. I should clarify now that he prefers to dress and act more like a woman than a man, and I was very confused by this at first. It's also safe to say he was trying to marry the emperor for while, but I get flustered when I try to think about that.

Regardless, I smiled as I came to his side. "Good morning, Nuriko."

"Hardly morning anymore, isn't it?" he said in a sassy tone. The servant girls he was speaking with giggled. "Ladies, this is Chiriko. He's one of the Suzaku as well.

"Much better than the last one, right, Lady Kourin?" one smiled.

"That Chiriko?" he rolled his eyes. "I'm relieved he wasn't the real one. I don't know how much more I could stand that flute." They giggled again. Apparently, they were fond of him and would giggle at anything he said.

At the reference to the Seiryu warrior who impersonated me, I winced. The older girls noticed and giggled more. "What a cute one! He may as well take your position someday," one said. Me replace Nuriko? I wasn't sure what they were referring to, and I wish I didn't find out.

Nuriko also didn't seem to like it, so he sounded a bit defensive. "Now, now, do you think anyone can pull my act off as well as I did? And still have enough favor of His Highness to remain in the harem?"

"We would help, of course!" another offered, and I hoped she was joking as I figured out that they meant I could pull off acting like a woman. And apparently, they were fond enough of him to still dote on him after finding out he was a really man.

"Y-you wouldn't," the doted upon one struggled. "I still--"

"How about it, little Chiriko? Do you want to serve in the harem? It seems to be a popular hobby for adorable warriors of Suzaku," they teased (at least, I hope they were teasing still).

"Adorable?" he sounded outraged. "But I'm… I'm beautiful!" My cheeks were too heavy with blush for me to say anything with him. The girls ignored him, and probably would have ignored my wishes anyway.

"I'll go get the hair brush and we can tame down that ponytail--"

"Excuse us!" he yelled in an angry, but still feminine tone and dragged me a ways away by the shoulder. I'm small for my age, but it was still very easy for him to take me. I think it was partly because of his unnatural strength and his being livid at the time.

"Aw, how sweet. Lady Kourin is so protective of him," was the last thing I heard them say. Oh, I wish.

His braid wizzed behind him as he turned around to look me eye to eye. "I was enjoying my spot light, thank you very much!" I was so startled my character immediately abandoned me as I could only look back at him for a moment, and then began to wail.

"I wasn't… sniff… tryin' to… hic… get their attention like that… hic…!"

"But you--"

"I was just sayin' 'hi'! ….hic… hic…"

I kept sobbing as Nuriko chased away his ill-wishes and tried to act more maternal (which was not his strongest point). "There, there, it's not your fault they lost interest."

I sniffled deeply and stopped crying for a moment before sniffling again. "Interest?"

"I… erm... Just thought I'd try my charm out on a gender I'm more familiar with. That's all," he looked relieved since my crying had quieted down, but I shouted how sorry I was that I ruined it and began wailing all over again. He awkwardly shifted his glance to the side, and hushed his voice. "Come on, stop crying. I'll go buy you lunch."

I guess I must still be an easily pleased child to stop crying at the mention of a treat. He led me to a small, but charming restaurant I had never seen and ordered us a few dishes, which I was happy to dig straight into.

"Are you better now?" he asked flatly. With my mouth full, I nodded a little. I swallowed a large mouthful so I could apologize for my crying fit, but he stopped me. "Don't feel so bad about it. I was just fooling around."

"Then, Nuriko…"

"Yes?"

"You like girls now, right?"

"Let's just say I know my place. I'm not ready to just give up on His Majesty, of course."

I wasn't sure what he meant, so my glance went down towards my food. "Was that was you always wanted, Nuriko?"

"Heck no," he smiled and took a bite of his food. "I didn't grow up wanting to be the Empress of Konan or anything, but I did know I really wanted to make something of myself and find someone I'd always want to protect."

"And that was Hotohori?"

"No, it didn't turn out to be him," he smiled his usual sassy smile. "At least, not just him."

Unsure where the conversation was headed, I trudged further into it. "Is that a good thing?"

"It's a very good thing, and much better than I expected, which I'm sure you'll understand soon. When I was very young, I tried protecting those I loved, but there was nothing I could do. After trying so many different ways to accomplish my goal, I found myself thrust into my life as a warrior of Suzaku. And look at me now."

"You get to protect the priestess now," I smiled.

"Not only her. I can take care of my fellow warriors, as well as the entire country! Now that's what I call making something of myself."

It was a heart warming thought. I had no idea how mature Nuriko was, since he never acted like that around the other warriors (especially Tasuki). I was enjoying a few sips of soup when he broke our silence and asked, "So how about you? What do you want to be when you grow up?"

My face flushed red as I gathered up a good answer for him. "Well, I'm going to take my exams, of course, and then be a government official…" His face looked disappointed, so I thought of what Hotohori said as I tried to make it sound better. "I'm going to lead the people of Konan… and…"

"What a scripted answer," he moaned. "Be honest, why don't you? It's just us here."

I thought I was being honest, so I furrowed my eyebrows at him and pursed up my lips. However, his words invited me to think deeper into what I really wanted for myself, and the kind of person I really wanted to be. "I want to be strong," I said under my breath.

"Oh?"

"I want to be strong! I don't want to be useless, and I want to protect people, too!" I raised my voice and looked him straight in the eye. "I can help people as an official, but I don't think I help them in any better way. That's why I want to be strong."

Nuriko rested his chin on his hands and looked back at me, much more relaxed than I was. "Then don't just settle for what you already know you can be. If you're so smart, then go learn what you're really capable of."

"But Nuriko, I…"

"You already know you can be a coward, or read a fancy book, or anything like that. But you can't limit yourself to that. Sure, you might not be as strong as me someday, but you won't know until you try. Forgive me for sounding cliché."

I struggled on his words for a few moments. "You've been talking to Hotohori, haven't you?"

"No! What would that have to do with anything?" he lifted his head off his hands. "I buy you lunch and you get suspicious, jeez."

"Sorry," I shifted to one side and grimaced, avoiding looking at him, but couldn't avoid hearing him start laughing. I turned back to him with a cross face. "What's so funny?"

"You're so cute when you pout!" he continued laughing. "Don't worry, someday you'll grow into such an angsty face!"

"You… you're just as bad as those girls back there!" I whined.

He chuckled a little more and regained a more serious composure. "I guess being a kid kind of sucks when you're trying to help save the country. But don't let that keep you from imagining all the great things you'll do, okay?"

We finished our lunch and headed back towards the busier part of the city, and he continued to pick on a me a bit. It wasn't at all like how I'd be picked on back home by neighborhood boys, so I started to have a lot of fun with it and teased him back. However, we were interrupted by a certain red-headed bandit running straight into us frantically.

"Tasuki!" Nuriko caught a hold of him. "What the heck is the matter with you?"

"I cracked one too many ogre-jokes back there," he struggled and looked over his shoulder, only to spaz a bit when saw Tamahome struggling through the crowds after him.

The man I had just spend lunch with rolled his eyes. "Again? Grow up, Tasuki."

"Please, Nuriko, you gotta help me!"

"Fine. Chiriko, go hide Tasuki and tell him when he was come out. Oh Tama-kiiins!" he ran off.

I wanted to scream after Nuriko not to leave me alone with him, though. This was the frightening warrior I had been avoiding the most, and was now left in charge of.


	5. Chilling Out

Gomenasaaaaiii. U-U This chapter just wasn't working well for me. I'm still not satisfied with it, but oh well. I still have what I was typing up for what happens at the temple if people are really interesting, but… eh. It didn't flow well. So, on with what I did finish?

To be honest, I had been trying to avoid Tasuki, the fiery bandit of the Suzaku warriors. Besides just being brash, he was a criminal, and therefore someone I was nervous around. Every time I saw him he was picking a fight with one of the other warriors. If Nuriko knew how I felt about him, maybe he wouldn't have left me with him. Even worse, he left me responsible for hiding him until he calmed Tamahome down.

The spoken-of man was crouching down behind me, carefully looking left and right. "Here's not a good place, the crowd is too sparse. Where are you gonna' hide me?"

"To be honest, I was just on my way to the temple," I half-lied. "So if you don't mind, I--"

"That's perfect!" he smiled. "He wouldn't think of looking for me there! Come on, I'm suppose to be inconspicuous. I'll behave, honest! Just get going!"

I'll admit, it was kind of funny seeing the big, bad bandit at my mercy, but I reluctantly took Tasuki with me to the temple, hoping that I might be able to meditate like I originally planned. He really was trying to behave himself, but his short attention span kept drawing attention to him. However, more attention came as the sudden fire in the temple was snuffed out. Concerned about Tamahome finding him at the scene, we fled.

"Ta-Tasuki," I caught my breath. "I thought it was just to… huff… be a quiet visit."

"It's not… huff.. my fault!" he yelled back at me and I winced. "The candle was too close to the curtain, it's not like I'm the one who set everything on fire! Heck, I'm th' one who put it out!"

His yelling startled me, but I saw it necessary to quiet him down. "I didn't say that. But it would be wise of you to shush if you don't want Tamahome coming back here to find you."

"Quit getting on my case! What did I do so wrong today?"

"Getting Tamahome so upset in the first place. Is he mad enough to still be following us?"

"Shut up about that! It's wasn't that bad!"

Maybe I was being too harsh. Not having a good response, I shut my mouth, and my character faded away again. Tasuki's face was set in a distanced glare and didn't look back for a moment, letting his steam run dry.

"By the way, since you're the smart one, do you know where we wound up?" he asked as he looked around at the empty back roads. I didn't say anything, so he looked back down at me instead. "Chiriko?"

"…what were we doing here again, Tasuki?"

He gave me one of the most puzzled looking faces I had ever seen. "We fled the scene, dontcha' remember? That was just now…"

"We did?" I looked back at him with a childish face.

"Yeah, we did," he looked at me suspiciously.

"Oh," I replied and paused for a moment, letting my slower mind piece things back together. "Tasuki?"

"What?"

"…Are we criminals?"

"Heck no!" he yelled. "What the heck is wrong with you? Were you sleeping through the whole fire or what!"

I figured my fellow warriors would find out about my spilt personality anyway, but I was hoping I wouldn't have to explain it so soon. Especially to one who intimidated me so much. Through tears, I told him how dependant I am on my character, and apologized profusely for my current state of mind. He stayed fairly silent until I was finished.

"Well, that's…" he began speaking, arranging his response to my problem. "…kinda dumb. Does that make you the defective warrior or something?"

"That-that's not helping much!"

"Ha ha! Wouldn't we be in luck if the Seiryu warriors have a defective one, too?" He laughed.

I pouted. Tasuki was trying to make me feel better, but had a different way of doing it than Hotohori or Chichiri. Nevertheless, he continued.

"Don't be so worked up about these things. It's a weird a problem, so what. You'll have it when you need it, right?"

I felt that guilt swelling up inside of me again. If I had it when I needed it, I would have come to the capital before it was too late to save the ceremony. It wasn't a very punctual character. I don't know whether he picked up on my lower mood or not, but he said more.

"And when you don't have it, that's when we all need a laugh, right?"

"Is that all I'm good for?" I whined. I must have looked pretty pitiful.

"Of course not. Like right now, you're good for helping me ditch Tama. Jeez, all that fuss over some little cat toy," he moaned and opened his palm to reveal a familiar feathered acorn.

"Tasuki, that's--!" I stopped myself as Tamahome's words ran through my head. He told me not to tell anyone about such a cute family practice.

"It's what?" he looked back at me, curious about what I was going to say. I wish I could have told him, since he'd probably find it as amusing as I did. He got a big smile. "It's a secret, huh?"

I nodded. He got more interested.

"Come on, you can tell big brother Tasuki!" he cupped his hand to his ear with a giant smile of anticipation.

"You promise not to tell?"

"I promise. Don't worry about it."

Not having my character meant I lost my logical skills, but that didn't mean I couldn't be creative. "When Tamahome was about my age, he used it to catch a fish big enough to feed his entire family for a couple days. They never had such a big meal before!" I whispered to him

"They- they never did?" he looked concerned. I couldn't help but smile as I shook my head in response.

"Tamahome was going to give it to them so they would be able to catch their own fish. It was one of the only ways he could think of for him to make sure his family has enough to eat while we're all away."

"I.." he said quietly. "I didn't know that."

I guess I should feel kind of guilty for making Tasuki feel so guilty, but he was right. I shouldn't worry so much. He resolved to return it to Tamahome, and we started to head back towards the palace to meet him.

Where ever that was, anyway.

"Now wouldn't be a bad time to get your character back and figure out where we are," he said and tried to get his bearings.

"I'll get back to you on that," I bit my lip and looked up at the sky getting darker. We took a gamble and headed back he direction we thought we came, but it lead us closer to the outskirts of town. It surely must have been a while we were out there until we found our way to the top of a hill, which looked down on the rest of the capital.

"I found it, Chiriko!" Tasuki pointed to the lights of the palace down below as I caught my breath. The sight of all the lights just turning on in the twilight was spectacular, but we quickly noticed the lights in the sky just showing up as well.

"There are the Suzaku constellations," I smiled and pointed to them. No matter where I found myself, they were always familiar to me since I was a small child, always watching them and finding the "Chiriko" constellation. As if on cue, my character finally decided to return and view the stars with us.

"Wow," the fiery bandit leaned his head back to look at them. "Where's mine?"

"It's that one," I pointed.

"I can't see where you're pointing. Those ones?"

"No, next to those."

"Those?"

"The other side!"

We didn't stay very long, but it was a view I probably won't soon forget. Having had an higher view of the city, we were able to plot a course for home and follow it there before too long. A few of the others scolded us for being so late, but I didn't really mind.

I should get to bed soon. It's been a very long day, and I offered to help our Priestess study for her own exams tomorrow.


	6. Perseverance

Hey there, everybody! This chapter was much easier for me to write than the last one, which is funny ,because Miaka never comes naturally to me. So, I love language barriers, but tried to keep from using them too much here. On with the story…

I've studied for years about how the priestess of Suzaku would come to our land and gather her seven celestial warriors and summon the beast god to protect us. I both dreaded and anticipated it, being one of the seven warriors, but wasn't sure what to expect of the priestess herself.

Miaka Yuuki came and agreed to be our priestess. For all I've seen of her so far, she has a healthy disposition, as well as a healthy appetite. Like me, she's also studying for some very important exams, but unlike me, she doesn't have very good study habits.

The other warriors all have unique relationships with her and their own ways to assist her. When I heard her mention her exams last night, I figured that helping her study would be the unique way for me to help her. I probably should have thought about my timing a little bit better, since we're leaving the day after tomorrow. As the priestess, Miaka has a lot to keep her busy right now.

"Thanks so much for helping me study, Chiriko," she smiled as she dragged her large bag of foreign books into my room. "I'll bet you're the kid they always ask for notes from class."

"I'm not really sure what you mean by that," I said. "But what subject would you like to start with? Science, history…?"

"Well, I was thinking of working on 'English'!" she smiled and opened of one of books. It had characters I had never remotely seen before, and they all were in horizontal lines.

"This is 'English'?" I observed. I looked closer and found a few characters I understood, but hadn't seen them used in that way before. "Jihpen?"

"Yeah, that's what they call us in English. But I always thought it was said more like 'ja-PAN'," she looked closer, and put her finger under some of the foreign characters.

"I was looking here, at the kanji," I pointed.

"That? No, that's just 'nihon'," she looked at me a little strangely. "That's where I'm from."

I looked back at her curiously. "Then in Japan, or Nihon, or whatever it was, they read these differently?"

"Well, yeah," she struggled a little. It seemed like common knowledge to her, but I hadn't thought of such a thing in my life. "These characters are also part of my writing system… see?"

I looked over finger at the simpler strokes I had never seen. "Are all your books written like this?"

"Well, yeah," she smiled. "Maybe this would be easier if you could read Japanese?"

I nodded. "It's curious that you speak the same language as us, Miaka, but don't write it.'

"That really is kinda funny," she looked up to her head to think of why. "Maybe because this is the Japanese translation?"

"What?'

"Nothing, nothing," she laughed it off. "Well, how about science? That's the same wherever you go, right?"

"I hope so."

She caught me up with what she was having trouble with. Physics always got me excited, but I tried to remind myself I was helping her studying, not teacher more new and interesting things about it. Regardless, I still found myself prattling on.

"So you see, Miaka, no matter how much something weighs, it'll fall at the same speed."

"Uh huh," she looked at me with a glazed over look. "But how come something like paper falls slower?"

"That's because the air pushes against it from below, and gets pushed out towards the edges."

"So that has to do with it's shape?"

"A little bit, yes."

"Then how come a book of paper doesn't get air making it stay up?"

"Well, it's heavier--"

"I thought you said weight doesn't matter," she whined, and showed how confused she was.

"I… well, when air isn't a factor…"

"But where can you not find air? They tell me it's in vacuums, but then what do they call the empty space?"

"Uh, I might have seen a term for that," I turned back to my own books I was familiar with.

"I think I'm done trying my brain up in knots," she stood up, already frustrated.

"Miaka, we haven't even been here for twenty minutes. We set aside two hours to study," I scrunched my eyebrows at her, hoping that there was still something I could do for her. She heaved an exasperated sigh, and sat back down.

"Thanks for trying so hard with me, Chiriko," she smiled a little. "My friends and my mom normally give up on me first!"

"There's no reason for them to do that," said I. "If you need help understanding it, they should help."

"Yui once spent all night just reading dictation to me," she smiled at first, but then looked very sad. I wasn't entirely sure why mentioning her friend made her so upset. Perhaps she was homesick, so I offered to read to her instead of explaining science. "That's a good idea," she perked up. "Sometimes it sticks better if I read aloud to myself!"

I wasn't able to read any of her books, so I chose a passage out of one of mine that related to her topics. Rereading some of my old favorite theories wasn't a chore for me, but I probably should have considered that it was above her level. By the time I peaked over the side of the book at her, she leaning to one side with her eyes half open. "…Miaka?"

She snapped straight up. "Yes, sir, the answer is cupcake!"

I wasn't sure what to make of that, so I stared blankly at her. Miaka blinked and looked around the room, then back at me. "Oh, hi Chiriko. Are we done yet?"

I rolled my eyes and put the book away. "If you want to learn this, you have to make an effort to learn it."

She pouted, and I silently scolded myself for being too harsh. With my character, it was always hard for me to understand people who couldn't study as well as I could. Without it, studying was an unthinkable task. There was never any middle ground, I could never relate to normal study habits.

"Are you mad, Chiriko?" she said quietly.

"No," I smiled. "It was my fault for picking something too hard. How about a topic that you enjoy?"

"A topic I enjoy…" she got a little smirk as a she thought. "PE is easy for me."

"PE?" I smiled. I wasn't sure what this was, but maybe there was someway I could apply traits of whatever that was to her other subjects.

"Too bad it's not on the exams."

I sighed heavily. It didn't look like I was going to be able to do anything to help her. But I knew I would feel guilty if I didn't keep trying. I looked outside at the courtyard.

"What are you doing, Chiriko?" she asked curiously.

"Just seeing how long until lunch."

"Oh!" she got louder. "By looking at the shadows from the position of the sun, right?"

My eyes brightened. "You could tell, Miaka? No one can ever tell that I'm telling time when I look at them!"

She nodded, very pleased with herself. "I heard that's how it was done before they had clocks."

"Clocks?"

"Yeah, they're little machines that tell time. I'll go show you my watch," she rattled through her back pack and pulled out what looked like a leather bracelet, and offered it to me to look at.

"Can I pick it up?" I looked at it's reflective face curiously. She nodded and I carefully lifted it off her hand. For a complex machine, it was amazingly lightweight. I tilted it back and forth a little to see how the light so flatly jumped off of it. It was lined on the inside with little figures and three thin lines went out from the center. I looked closer and noticed that the red line was moving, independent of everything else, in short and constant steps. I held it carefully to my ear, and listened to it make little sounds as the red line moved around the circle. Tsnk…tsnk…tsnk…tsnk… just like a heartbeat.

I looked up from it to make a comment to Miaka, but she was no longer in the room. I looked around, and finally peered outside. Down the outside walkway, I saw her sneaking away on her tiptoes. "Miaka?"

She got startled and then started running. It was obvious now that she was trying to rudely escape the rest of our study session, so I chased after her(even though I was never very fast).

"Miaka!" I continued to yell after her. My legs still hurt from all the running around town I did with Tasuki yesterday. She frantically kept darting around other corners, and kept herself from looking back at me, lest it would make her feel guilty. Just when I thought I was catching up, I tripped over my own feet and slammed against the wooden floor. I started crying out of frustration, and didn't hear her footsteps anymore. That didn't keep me from calling out in her direction. "I though you didn't like people giving up on you, Miaka!"

Little did I notice she had stopped running up ahead when I fell. I continued yelling, and she continued listening. "I won't give up yet, Miaka! You can't be the one to give up, now!" After that, I stayed flat on the ground and sobbing, until she slowly walked back towards me.

"I'm sorry, Chiriko," she said very quietly, trying to hold back how ashamed she was. "You're right. I can't give up."

I wasn't sure what to respond with, since she seemed deep in thought. I was about to forgive her, but she startled me by raising her voice and lifting her head. "The last thing I can do is give up! Everyone is counting on me now, so I have to keep going!"

Her resolute tone surprised me even more, so I continued to just look back at her blankly. She smiled and bent over to help me up. "Studying a little should be easy compared to summoning Suzaku, right?"

It became clear to me then that she was referring to more than just studying. I smiled back, and accepted her help standing back up. I was learning the same lesson with her, so I felt I could reply now. "We both will, Miaka."

She looked relieved as we started walking back towards where we left all our books. "In my language, this would the part were we'd say 'ganbatte kudasai' or something! Heh heh…"

It wasn't easy, but we did spend the next hour working on her studies. She had to keep challenging herself to understand what I said better, and I tried to ask more questions than answering them myself. When all was said and done, I think we both learned more important things today than just slow paper falls to the ground.

Yay for Miaka! Nobody said other people couldn't learn from Chiriko, too. Next is the last chapter, with… you guessed it! Nakago!

…No, I'm not that mean. Mitsukake will finally get more glory next time than just being Chiriko's adoptive grandpa.


	7. Staying True

Aaaahh, the final chapter. I've been dreading this. But first a thank you to everyone who'se reviewed me so far:

KittyLynne: Probably the most thorough reviewer I have. XD I'm sorry for all the weird wording sometimes, editing is NOT my strong point. At all. But I'm always flattered when you review, and I hope your daughter liked the Hotohori stuff, too.

Psychodahlia: Ahh! You give me ideas! Every since I read that, I've been preoccupied with the idea of "After-Life Lessons". But anyway, your reviews always give me encouragement, and I cheer when I see new ones.

K. A. Maples: I found that I had a chapter of "Masks" on the brain when I read this chapter (I'll bet you can tell which one!). Thanks for fluffy feelings and inspiration. :D

Yume Matsuri: I don't have as much to say… but thanks for reading anyway. Hey, it rhymed…

Okay. Let's go give Mitsukake some love, and cheer Chiriko on.

Tomorrow we leave for the northern lands to search for the Shinzaho. Miaka and Nuriko left with Tamahome to go visit his family, Hotohori continued to makes plans for the trip with Chichiri, and Tasuki was doing what he could to avoid helping pack the boat. That left Mitsukake and me to get a few last minute supplies.

"How's your hand, Chiriko?" he asked, a little under his breath.

"My hand?" I looked down at it. Only a little scar was left from where his cat had bit me a few days ago. "It's just fine, thank you for asking."

"Oh." He turned away. It looked like he had been beating himself up a bit for Tama-neko's behavior. I would have said something to comfort him, but that might have just made him dwell on it more. He wasn't going to let it go, though, until he felt he made up for it. "Do you mind if I have a look?"

"Um, if it'll make you feel better, go ahead," I offered my hand up to him. He bent it a around a little a looked it over, possibly a little bit miffed there was nothing he could do to help it along. He bent my wrist over in an uncomfortable way, and a few people around us in the market place took notice of my yelp of pain.

"What do you think you're doing to that poor little boy?" an elderly woman raised her voice in Mitsukake's ear. "Let go of him, you pedophile!"

"Ahh-- no, I-"

"Really, young men today are all such--"

"It's alright ma'am! He's a doctor," I said in his defense.

"This man is a doctor? He doesn't look…" she searched him up and down. "Oh, I'm sorry. I seem to have mistook your age, doctor."

It's not likely she misjudged his age to begin with, but Mitsukake was very embarrassed either way, and kept this head lowered for a while after that.

"Are you alright, Mitsukake?" I finally asked, but expected a placid answer.

"I don't think the city is the best place for me," he groaned a little. I was secretly pleased that he gave me an honest answer, since he never really complains to anyone.

"You won't have to stay here much longer," I tried to put a positive spin on the situation. "What are your plans for after we summon Suzaku?"

"My plans?" he looked back inside his head. "I hadn't really thought of that."

I took a seat next to him and continued to ask him questions, since everyone in the team knew my plans for exams, but I didn't really know anyone else's plans. "What were you doing before you met Miaka?"

His face struggled to come up with a good expression when I said that. "It wasn't a very… desirable lifestyle, we'll say that." Mitsukake never ceases to interest me. Perhaps that's just a part of how secretive he is. He'll probably never be the kind of person to completely open up to just anyone. Seeing that, however, I was very surprised by his next comment: "I really wish we didn't have to leave."

"…Mitsukake?"

"Somewhere in the back of my mind, I'm dreading this journey," he clentched his fists together. "But maybe that's just how pessimistic I am." I wasn't sure what to say, so I just looked down at his hands with him, until he looked back up at me. "How do you feel about it?"

"Me?" my eyes widened a bit. "Well, I've been learning a lot lately getting myself prepared for it."

"Oh?" he raised his eyebrows, wondering how one might study for something like that.

"Yes," I grinned. "I've learned I have companions to keep me strong, but I still have to have my own strong attitude. I can't give up, because I have people here I want to protect."

Mitsukake looked at me wide-eyed. "That's quite a daring mindset."

"Heh, maybe it is. But I've also had to learn not to get upset when things don't work out."

"I see," he smiled wistfully. "All that in just a few days, it seems. You pick things up very fast."

I blushed but tried to ignore the flattery. I'm so thankful that Mitsukake is such a good listener, and I don't feel fake around him at all. However, today he seemed a little more talkative than usual.

"So how did you feel about this upcoming journey before all of that?"

It was that question that floored me. Not so much the question itself, but my thought process answering it. I was so proud of myself for everything I had been learning, and so proud of being able to try to help summon Suzaku to protect Konan. After all my childhood studying my role as a warrior, now I was excited to finally take up my responsibility. With my character shining, anyway.

But without my without that, my true personality shines through. And it's that personality that is still reluctant to risk everything important to me. I'm still small, scared, ignorant, and weak. And I still have my whole life ahead of me here.

The truth is, the confident personality that came with the mark of Suzaku was just an excuse to make myself go. I still didn't want to go for so many reasons. And then the tears fell. Tears more honest than all the ones I had been shedding since I came to the capital.

Mitsukake, I think, was completely aware of everything I was thinking, but he didn't say a word. He didn't hold me, or try to make me feel better, but only offered a hankerchief for me to hide my swollen face behind, and finally said a few words after we had been silent for a while.

"That's alright, Chiriko. You're still growing up, and you have reason to be afraid. Wouldn't it be nice if everything you've learned was already a part of you? It just doesn't happen that way. Those virtues aren't just things you can study; they have to be practiced."

I sniffed back the last few tears, not looking back at him yet. "But I…"

He put his hand on my head to quiet me back down as he gave me a gentle smile. "The real Ou Dokun doesn't learn everything right away. You still have a long time to learn it all at your own pace. But for the moment, just keeping trying in your own way."

If Suzaku blessed Mitsukake with more than just healing powers, it was definitely a gift for words. We finished gathering the last supplies, and returned back for our last night at the palace. The five of us here stayed busy all evening, and well into the night. I can now honestly say I'm both dreading and looking forward to finding the Shinzaho, because I'll really learn what I've heard lectures about recently. It won't make me a different person, but I'll come back with everyone as a better version of myself. I look forward to seeing what kind of man I'll grow into someday, once I finally help my fellow warriors and priestess summon Suzaku and save our country.


End file.
